Reapers
by WriteroftehStories
Summary: She's there to collect Minato's soul as a means to save herself, but Kakashi swears she'll never obtain it and Minato is determined to force humanity on her. When the time comes, will she choose Minato's life or her own? Adventure/Angst/Romance *OC*


One.

_Shinigami_

Darkness consumed the vibrantly green forests of Fire Country but somewhere in the dense wood, a few miles east of Konoha, there was a battle raging.

Kunai flew from all directions, there only giveaway was the glints of light from the traitorous full moon.

It was a lovely moon, massive and lonely but still happy. It smiled down on the battle below as did a young woman. She sat atop a high branch of an old maple and observed. One long, slender leg dangled from her perch, the other propped up while she rested her chin on her knee.

She would finally get what she had come for. Namikaze Minato. It was all thanks to the silver haired boy, Kakashi was his name. He was so easy to manipulate, if she had emotions; she thought that perhaps she would feel guilty. But she wasn't born with those. They were needless in her realm.

She frowned as the two rogue shinobi hit the ground. They had both been high profile S-Class criminals. One Jōnin, a Chuunin and a couple Genin shouldn't have been able to defeat those two.

She heard the Genin girl scream and shifted her gaze toward the tree line then grinned ear to ear.

"Namikaze, I've finally got you." She dropped from her perch and landed beside him, completely invisible to everyone except the silver haired boy.

When he saw her grinning face, realization hit him and his own face immediately took on an angry scowl.

"What did you do?" Kakashi yelled at her.

"What I needed to do." She said, brushing him off and tilting her head to survey her new soul, or rather…_his_. All of this work and she wouldn't even be able to keep him for herself in the end. No, this soul was spoken for, though many of her kind would fight for such a claim.

"You said you wouldn't though! You said…you said you changed your mind."

"I lied to you." The shinigami narrowed her eyes. Minato's heart was still beating. This life was persistent.

"Why?" Kakashi yelled. Obito stared at him as if he were crazy while Rin's attention was on Minato. Her glowing hands, pressed to his chest.

"Because it was what I needed to do." She repeated then looked at the girl. "Stop that." She said irritated, knowing the girl couldn't hear nor see her. The only reason he was still alive was because of this girl.

"You-" Kakashi growled. The shinigami glanced up. This boy. He wasn't afraid of her. Never once did he display fear, from the moment she'd revealed herself. Then again she had been working to earn his trust. She needed that trust for a night like this.

"A thing is not necessarily true because a shinigami says it." She told him. "I needed Minato's soul in order to continue existing."

"But what about him? Don't you think of anyone but yourself?"

"No."

She could hear his heart slowing, slowing…then nothing. She smiled and turned to see Minato standing behind her. Well…his soul anyway.

"Namikaze Minato, I've been waiting for you." She said.

"Who are you?" He asked her.

Kakashi couldn't see his sensei's soul but he understood what was going on when Rin whimpered and the shinigami stood and turned to address the invisible man.

"Death." She replied.

"Stop! Please don't." Kakashi yelled behind her. Minato looked down at him. Realization dawning on him as he saw his own body lying still in the grass. He said nothing about it though, seemingly accepting of this circumstances. It was the way these particular humans usual turned out. These shinobi. Very seldom were they shocked when standing over their own cold bodies.

"They can see you?" He asked.

"No. Only he can see me." Then she turned to Kakashi who was now getting worried stares from both Rin and Obito. "It is inevitable." She told him with an unconcerned look.

"Take me instead. You can have my soul!"

"Stop it Kakashi." Minato yelled.

"He cannot hear you." She said then turned back to Kakashi. "Your soul will not keep my existence alive. You're an interesting human Hatake Kakashi. A soul like yours will only get better with age. Perhaps I'll come back for it myself." She said tapping her chin in thought.

Minato growled and she blinked out of her daze and looked at him.

She smiled and opened her mouth to speak but slowly closed it when she saw his form fading. She quickly turned back to the girl.

His heart. It was beating. She whipped around but Minato's soul was nowhere to be seen.

"No." She breathed.

"Yes!" Rin cried. "His heart. It's beating on its own. I need blood replenishing pills. Get them from my bag." Obito ran to her bag.

"No! Stop." The shinigami said, kneeling down beside Minato and across from Rin. She glared at the girl then glanced down at Minato. She had lost him again. The second time since she'd been down here. This man. She was starting to see why his soul was so significant. It was strong but still…why was it so important for her to get this particular human soul? Surely there were others, somewhere who were just as strong.

She stood. Minato wasn't dying tonight. Not tonight and probably not tomorrow night. She would have to wait a while longer now and she had lost her pawn.

"Shimatta…" She whispered. Kakashi heard her and a smile tugged at his lips. If the shinigami was upset that could only mean his sensei would be alright. She'd lost again and he didn't plan on letting her win, ever.

**Two Weeks Later**

"Kakashi." Minato called. When Kakashi turned to look at his sensei Minato tilted his head to the boulder on the outskirts of their usual training field.

He had just been released from the hospital after the close call against the two rogue ninja two weeks ago, on their way home.

For a week Minato stayed unconscious. He dreamt of a woman. She stood before him appearing young, her features graceful yet classic. He could remember her perfectly. Her golden eyes were so bright they were almost yellow. Cat like. Her dark hair gathered into a high pony tail and held secure by four golden, chop stick shaped kanzashi.

The woman dressed in an elegant, loose fitting black kimono, part of which had carelessly slid off one shoulder, revealing her defined collarbone. It was lavish and would have looked quite expensive if it weren't for the bottom being tattered and torn. The obi was dark orange and both ends hung, tattered as well, to the heels of her dirty bare feet.

And she was beautiful.

Kakashi followed behind and leaned against the boulder once they reached it.

"I have to ask you Kakashi; do you remember seeing anything unusual that night? A woman…" He remembered his dreams, Kakashi yelling at the woman, telling her to spare his teacher. He couldn't be sure but it felt too real. He had to ask him.

Kakashi blinked at his sensei and slowly nodded his head.

"You do…" He said, somewhat surprised that this was real. "How? How did you see her?"

"_It_ showed _itself_ to me." Kakashi said, fire flashing in his eyes. Then he looked up at his sensei and sighed. "She came here to trick me into walking you into a trap that night. It's my fault you almost died. She, she needs your soul but I don't know why."

"It's okay Kakashi. It's not your fault. Outsmarting a shinigami would be a feat, I suppose." Minato said thoughtfully. "Is she here now?"

Kakashi shook his head.

"When does she come to you?"

Kakashi shrugged, "Sometimes, I can call her and she comes."

"Can you call her now?" Minato asked. Kakashi nodded once then closed his eyes.

Moments later, he opened then narrowed his eyes in the direction beside Minato.

The shinigami was standing beside the blonde ninja, an evil smile mangling her lovely face.

"Did you need something, Kakashi? Are you having second thoughts about our deal?"

"No." Kakashi said angrily.

"I take it she answered?" Minato asked his student who was now seemingly talking to himself. Kakashi nodded not taking his eyes off the space beside his sensei.

"He remembers me." The shinigami said. That was surprising. Souls didn't normally remember seeing death gods after returning to their bodies.

"She's surprised you remember her." Kakashi told Minato. Minato allowed a short laugh to escape his lips while the shinigami narrowed her eyes at Kakashi.

"Can she show herself to me? I've already seen her, after all." Minato asked.

Kakashi looked at the shinigami for an answer.

"He can see me…when he closes his eyes for the final time." She said, standing closely to the oblivious Minato.

"She says, she would rather not." Kakashi rephrased for his teacher.

"That will make it hard to talk." Minato said with a polite smile.

"We'll have an eternity to converse, when you are dead." The shinigami whispered in his ear but she was looking at Kakashi enjoying the angry reactions she could so effortlessly draw from the human.

Kakashi growled at her but Minato was still, unknowing there was a shinigami whispering words of death to him.

Minato sighed and looked at Kakashi for a moment. "To think, a shinigami…here. If only I knew why she was after me and even more importantly why she can't just kill me herself."

The shinigami stayed quiet and stared at Kakashi. She wasn't one to play with her food so speaking to this man, even using Kakashi as a medium wasn't something she enjoyed.

"Well then, I suppose well have to go about our lives either way." He said, standing and dusting himself off. He walked a few steps toward the training field before stopping and glancing back in the direction of the invisible shinigami. "Oh, I don't intend to let you have my soul so easy Shinigami-san. Best of luck." He smiled politely once more then resumed walking back to the field.

She felt her lips tugging before she allowed a huge grin to cover her face.

"A challenge, hm? How interesting." She glanced at Kakashi who was frowning at her.

"Why do you need his soul?"

"To exist." She said simply, not offering any further explanation. "Refrain from calling me as if I'm some lap dog. I've more important things to do than having idle chats with humans."

"Then why don't you just disappear and stay that way. No one else can see you."

"Because I've already appeared to you. I can't simply disappear from your sight."

"So I'll always see you? No matter what?" Kakashi asked. She just frowned at him. "That'll be convenient." He said his mood lifting.

"You should fear me shinobi. I may not be able to take Minato's life but I can still take yours…" She failed to get the reaction she wanted so she continued, her gaze swinging to Obito and Rin who were a ways behind him, resting beneath a large maple. "…or your teammates." After this, Kakashi's eyes widened but the shinigami's face betrayed none of the triumph she felt. She remained serious. "If I'm really upset, I can always just lay waste to your village."


End file.
